Bryce Molder

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Bryce Molder Wins Frys.com Open In A Playoff

It took six playoff holes but Bryce Molder can now call himself a PGA TOUR champion. Molder and Briny Baird finished the Frys.com Open tied at 17-under and needed extra holes to determine a winner. It wasn't until Molder made birdie on the sixth playoff hole and Baird made par that he was crowned champion.

(Bryce Molder earned his first career PGA TOUR win at the Frys.com Open)

What made the back and forth playoff more interesting was the fact neither player had ever won on the PGA TOUR. For Molder, this was his 132nd career start. For Baird it was his 348th, his quest will for victory will have to wait. Molder's victory earns him $900,000 but more importantly, exemption through the 2013 season.

How did Molder finally break through to earn his first championship? His last two rounds he made 13 birdies and only one bogey. He averaged 26.8 putts per round throughout the tournament, the best of anyone in the field.

Notables

All the talk heading into the Frys.com Open was about Tiger Woods and how he would play in his return back to the PGA TOUR. It looked like more disappoint for Woods after being named to the Presidents Cup team when he opened on Thursday with a 73 and found himself outside the cut-line heading into Friday. Fortunately, Tiger managed to turn it around and put together three consecutive rounds of 68 to finish in a tie for 30th.

Ernie Els looked to be in good form playing all four rounds in the 60's. Els had a share of the lead at one point but couldn't hold on through the final round. He finished tied for 4th place and earned his first top 10 of the 2011 season.

Bud Cauley created a buzz heading into the weekend. Cauley is on a quest to be the first player to qualify for the TOUR without going to Q-School since Ryan Moore did it in 2005. Cauley needs to finish in the top 125 on the PGA TOUR earnings list when the Fall Series ends in order to qualify and his 3rd place finish this week earned him $331,000 along with an exemption to play in next weeks TOUR event. Cauley is currently in 114th place.